7 Miles - 8-10 miles of hiking including climb from 8000 to 11,000 feet

Medium level pace

Total miles for the week: 38 - YTD: 930.5

Well another week of training down. I am most excited about my Tuesday speed workout run. I really wasn't in the mood for speed work, but I did it. I really like the cut down workout, where I start with a mildly fast portion at a long distance and start to increase the pace. 38 miles for the week (plus about 8 miles of lunch time walking + 13 miles of hiking) puts me at a nice total.

I still remain somewhat frustrated in the fact that I used to run that workout a lot faster. Whether it is age, altitude or what, I am not quite sure. It is frustrating to see your times get slower despite training as diligently as I always have.

I am still doing a fair amount of cross training in the mountains. I firmly believe this helps me build length strength. I feel I can really zip up the hills. Also, it becomes a cardio workout because of the altitude.

This week I plan to train fairly hard until Tuesday or Wednesday. On Friday I have another night half marathon: I am doing the Legacy Midnight Half Marathon in Bountiful, Utah. This will be my third year doing the race and I was hooked from the first time I did it (something thrilled about running the darkened bike trail at night). I know the course well so I should be able to run without the fear of getting lost (like the first year I did. I had to come to a complete stop because I didn't know which way to turn). The race starts at 10pm, so it will be another late night.

This week's photo is a shot of Mount Olympus as the sun sheds it last rays on it. I took it as I was wrapping up one of my runs this week. One of these days I'll get to the top: